The Mountains We Face
by The Lonely Curator
Summary: Suluc is a new summoner to the Institute, and wants to prove to everyone that he can stack up to then. Even if his champion has been through much, and might not be able to stand with others, Suluc will stand by him to the very end.


He glanced around him warily, his heart racing in his chest. So many people were in the large hall that it seemed the crowds went far out into the rest of the Institution.

He quickly settled back to his seat, readjusting his hood as inconspicuously as he could manage. There were many others like him. Potential summoners, all waiting to see if they would be assigned a champion today to be apart of the League of Legends.

They all wore he same initiat garb. White coat with gold trailings on the back. But underneath the large hoods there were a variety of different people, large and small. The most interesting thing was that many of the summoners were from different worlds. Hardly any were actually natives of Runeterra. And he had certainly never been to Runeterra before today.

After a few minutes of waiting, a tall woman stepped up in front of everyone, wearing a coat similar in design to the initiats, but black instead of white.

"Greetings everyone. My name is Saya. Today, you are all here for the trial of the initiats. Where all the summoners who retired last year are handing their mantles down to the next generation of summoners.

"This is something that has been occurring for years now, and this year's initiation will be larger than most have been for a long span of time. But don't let that deter you. Only the best potential summoners have been considered." She said with a smile.

"However," she began. "Summons will have to stay for a designated time if they agree to take on a champion. And you will be shown your champion without you having any prior knowledge of them. Should you not find your champion... adequate, you will be able to turn down that champion. Though you must wait till next year's initiation if you wish to try and receive a champion."

There was quiet murmuring among the crowd, but he was paying close attention to Saya's words. What would his champion be?

"Now, without wasting any more time, let us bring in the open champions!" She clapped twice, the fires along the walls lighting up as many different champions began to walk in from Saya's left and right to line up in front of everyone.

He could see so many different types of champions. A large dragon with stars rotating around him, a pirate with a dark gaze. There was a man with a scythe and a dark grin to his face. And a... scarecrow? So many different champions that he couldn't seem to decide which one was the most interesting.

Saya raised a hand and the room silenced. "I will call a summoner's name and they will step forward. I will then assign them to a champion, and we will go until all champions have been assigned. If you do not get one this year, you will be at the front of the line for next year's assignment."

And then she began. It was a long endeavor, primarily because she gave the titles of the champions and a brief description of them as well. But they slowly cleared off the stage, and hardly anyone denied a champion. Some did, and for obvious reasons. No one was going to fault the small girl when she had been told her champion was a towering monster named Cho'Gath.

But he was nervous. What would his champion be? Nobody had been assigned Cho'Gath yet. And he wasn't sure if he would be comfortable with something like whatever the void creature was as his partner for the foreseeable future.

Eventually they had only three champions left on the stage. Cho'Gath, Kindred, the spirits of death, and a strange canine that hadn't been called out yet, so his name was unknown.

"Cyril Branwen!" Saya called out. A woman with Snow White hair barely poking out of her hood walked forward, a grin on her face.

"You have been assigned the Kindred! Do you accept?" Cyril looked at the two spirits before nodding contently.

"I do."

He watched the bonding process before the partners walked off the stage. He could feel his heart really beating now. Cho'Gath and the canine were all that was left. Would he even be called? He wanted to be a summoner all his life. Would he really want to be picky?

"Suluc!" She called out. He stood, feeling all eyes on him as he walked onto the stage. Standing in front of her he couldn't help the slight shaking of his hands.

"No last name?" she asked inquisitively.

He shook his head. "No, madam. I never knew my family," he said.

She nodded slowly. "I won't pry. Now then, you are one of the last summoners, quite lucky for you to be up here, don't you think?"

"Yes, madam," he responded quietly. He licked his lips and swallowed quickly.

"Before you are two champions of considerable power, one a creature of the void who feeds on his enemies to grow stronger." Cho'Gath roared at Saya's description in a pleased manner. "And the other is an Ascended of the empire of Shurima. Two very different champions. What are your thoughts of this situation?"

Suluc looked at her, eyes wide. She hadn't asked anyone else any questions. What made him so different? He shook his head. "I've wanted to be a summoner all my life. Whoever I get assigned, I will be content with."

She smiled. "Then in that case, you have been assigned: Nasus, Curator of the Sands! A being of immense wisdom, he is a steadfast beacon of hope for the people of Shurima!" Saya gestured for the two of them to walk forward. Standing in front of Nasus made Suluc realize how tall the canine was. Next to Cho'Gath he appeared small, but he was still quite tall in is own right.

Nasus gave a slight bow. "It is an honor to be assigned to you, Summoner." His voice was deep, and almost seemed to echo.

Suluc gave a bow as well, but made sure his was a bit deeper. "I hope I live up to your expectations." Nasus gave a quick glance to Saya before returning to look at Suluc.

"I am certain you will."

The two held their hands forward, a blue light moving between them as they were bound to each other.

The two walked off, sitting in their chairs with the rest of the assigned summoners. They watched as another summoner was called.

"Morgan Branwen!" she called. Suluc looked up.

"Another Branwen?" he spoke. The woman also had white hair, but hers only came down to her shoulders, where Cyril's was slightly longer.

Saya smiles at her. "You have been assigned Cho'Gath! Do you accept?"

There was silence as Morgan and Cho'Gath stared at each other. Morgan then leap up onto one of Cho'Gath's legs and hugged him. "I accept! This is going to be awesome!"

Some people laughed at the spectacle, especially when Cho'Gath's eyes widened and he attempted to shake the girl off his leg.

And in what felt a short time, they were done. Each summoner was given a map that included where their living spaces were. Suluc didn't know if it had been done on purpose or not, but his room was next to Nasus' own quarters.

The duo walked down the hall towards their rooms, neither saying a word to each other. Suluc would occasionally give a quick glance to Nasus, noting his ornate armor with it's many designs and decorations. He had wanted to be here with a champion for so long, but now he had no idea what to do.

Upon reaching their rooms Suluc opened his door, quickly glancing in to see a simple room with a large bed. It was certainly less impressive than he was expecting, but he wasn't one to let anything like that bother him.

"You are meant to decorate your room to your own liking," Nasus spoke, causing Suluc to jump. The two looked at each other silently for a short pause.

Suluc looked down before saying "Ah. Gotcha."

Nasus gave a small head bow. "I am certain you have had a long day. I will leave you to rest." With hardly a sound, Nasus left, softly closing the door behind him.

Suluc swallowed, his mind rushing before he groaned loudly, flopping onto his bed. "I'm an idiot! My champion, and he probably thinks I hate his guts! Crap." He rolled to his side, crossing his arms to his chest.

He stayed this way for a short time before he stood and made his way to his closet. He opened it, seeing a multitude of coats, pants and shirts. His eyes lingered on a large bulky black coat with purple and gold trim. He grabbed it, swapping it for his white coat before grabbing his map.

He was too full of energy to simply fall asleep, regardless of how late it must have been now. He left, taking care to be quiet, just in case Nasus were to be awake.

He began to wander the many halls, finding his map to be somewhat helpful, but not entirely. Almost like it was missing some parts to it. He eventually gave up on using the map and just began to wander.

After a short time he found himself looking at what seemed to be the entrance to the library of the Institution. He slowly entered, seeing no one else was currently around.

The library before him was massive, with books sorted by region, then alphabetically. It seemed to go on forever, but he could faintly make out a back wall. He wanted to skim, but then an idea popped into his mind. He began to look for the section he needed, eventually finding it.

"Shurima..." he said softly. Slowly walking down the many isles of the Shuriman section so as to not miss any of the titles, he eventually saw the book he wanted.

He grabbed it carefully, running his fingers along the spine protectively. The book in his hands looked incredibly ancient. He could even see some dust on it. He blew softly, seeing it was actually sand on the book. He hummed to himself quietly.

He walked back to the front, seeing a small nook where there was a fire silently raging. He sat down in a rather large chair, watching the flames for a brief time. He then diverted his attention back to the book in his hands.

"Nasus; The Curator of the Sands." He opened the book, seeing no words, but pictures that were slowly moving, with faint words telling a story. He carefully touched the page, feeling sand and the warmth from it as if it had been kissed by the sun.

The pictures showed the story of a boy who was brilliant. How he lived in an empire called Shurima thousands of years ago. The boy joined the Shuriman army, rising the ranks quickly due to his mental prowess.

But the boy had a younger brother named Renekton, one who he had to leave behind, but he would not keep it that way. Using his sway in the army, the boy, who had become a man, managed to get Renekton into the army with him to save him.

Together, the two, both night and day of each other, won many battles for Shurima, for years. The man planning the battles, and Renekton fighting them. They were inseparable from each other, despite their differences.

Then one day, the man grew gravely ill, and the people of Shurima began to mourn him. There was no way for him to recover. But then the Sun Priests, those who chose the next Ascended, Shurima's Demi-Gods of sorts, told the people that the man could be Ascended and saved.

Renekton attended the ceremony with his brother, seeing the holy light of the Shuriman sun disk shining down brightly. But the man had grown so ill that he could no longer walk into the light to be Ascended. So in a moment of true love, Renekton carried his brother into the sun's rays, fully expecting to be destroyed, but still saving his brother.

The people were surprised when both walked out, changed and Ascended by the sun. Renekton has changed to a large crocodile-like creature, with his power all but multiplied.

And the man walked out as a large Jackal-like being. The brothers were reunited and more powerful. The duo of Renekton: The Butcher of the Sands, and Nasus: The Curator of the Sands.

Suluc closed the book, seeing there was much more, but found himself tired and needing to think on what he had just read. The man was Nasus, a brilliant strategist who gave everything for his people, and almost died, but because of his selflessness was risen up to even greater glory.

He found himself grinning. His champion sounded like the best champion in the entire League! And he would do his best to live up to the expectations of his champion. He stood, carefully placing his book into his coat to hide it. He didn't know if he was allowed to take the book with him, but he didn't care, and there wasn't anyone around to tell him no.

During his retreat back to his room he began to think to himself. He would try to actually talk to Nasus tomorrow. But even with that eating at him, he realized something else. Their first League match together would start tomorrow as well, and he had no idea what to expect.

Little did he know that there was a pair of blue eyes watching him the whole time.

He rose early, made sure everything was in order, from his teeth to his attire. He wanted to make sure that whoever it was he would be facing or allied with knew that he wasn't just like every other new person. He wanted to be here, and he would show that he and Nasus were a force to be reckoned with.

He made his way to the portal that led to Summoner's Rift with Nasus, the much older champion being his guide. The duo entered the portal, seeing that he were among the first there.

Suluc could see many different champions and their summoners scattered about the beginning areas to the fields. He saw Cyril, the girl talking to her champions with a straight face.

But otherwise he knew none of the other champions and summoners. He followed Nasus as the jackal made his way over to a large oak tree and settled himself beneath it.

Suluc sat as well, but simply on a patch of grass while Nasus leaned his frame against the base of the tree. The two were quiet before Suluc decided now was as good a time as ever to try talking to him.

"So, umm..." he began softly, "how long have you been a champion?" He licked his lips, eyes flickering between Nasus and the ground.

The Ascended being gazed over to him slowly. "Many years now, which the book you took from the library should have mentioned." Nasus rubbed his snout in thought. "But I suppose you haven't reached that part yet."

Suluc's eyes widened. How has Nasus know about that!? He stuttered for a reply before seeing the small grin on Nasus' face.

"Worry not. I know you meant no harm in it. Anyone who enters my library is known to me. As is whatever they touch, or in your case, take." Nasus said.

Suluc slowly pulled out the book from his large coat. "It's fascinating. And I figured if we're going to be partners for... who knows how long, I should know some basic stuff then."

Nasus nodded in agreement. "Knowing is half the battle. You being able to synergize with me is certainly an important part." The jackal then gazed right at him. "But you could have just asked me any questions you had."

Suluc chuckled sheepishly. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I didn't really know how to talk to you, to be honest. I mean, you're a champion!"

Nasus nodded. "True. But you're a summoner."

Suluc began to think to himself for a few seconds. "So... you won't mind if I ask you questions then?"

"As long as they are based upon growing you knowledge, and not for harm, then ask all the questions you wish."

Grinning, Suluc began to ask Nasus all the questions he could, varying from the League, to Nasus himself and his homeland. The entire time Nasus held a calm face, his facade occasionally letting through a grin, particularly when talking about Shurima.

After a while though, many of the champions and their summoners began to arrive, so the duo stood, quieting their talk but making their way towards the others.

Saya greeted the many summoners and their champions with a grin. "Alright, today is the first time many of you will be on the fields. So all the new summoners will not be facing the veterans. But only for the first week. After that, you will be fighting people of all skill types. Some better, some worse than you."

The summoners were divided up into their teams, Nasus and Suluc waiting patiently. Eventually they were called to a blue Nexus team.

"Nasus top lane, Kindred jungle, Fiddlesticks middle, Jhin as the ADC, and Leona as the support!" Saya said loudly.

Suluc cautiously moved towards Nasus. "I don't know what half of that means."

The ancient being chuckled. "Worry not. I will explain while we wait for our match to begin. And I suggest we meet our allies at some time as well."

Suluc nodded. The two spent the next hour discussing how the match would play out, Suluc asking many more in depth questions than Nasus was expecting. Most summoners he had in the past hardly cared about fighting tactically, or even really listened to him. But this summoner seemed to want to do his best.

After explaining the basics, and mulling over some more advanced tactics to sate Suluc's many questions, the two made their way towards their teammates.

Seeing them all and their champions caused Suluc to feel lost, despite all of them being new summoners.

At least Cyril was familiar to him. He attempted to introduce himself, but found that his allies were either not interested in him, or too scared to try speaking to him. Except the twin spirits of death.

"This one reeks of death, Lamb!" Wolf taunted as he floated around Suluc's head.

"Yes he does, dear Wolf. But he is not ours to claim. Not yet at least." Lamb said calmly as she walked up to him.

Suluc found Lamb to be incredibly intriguing. Her mask was very beautifully carved, even if simple compared to most. A stark contrast from Wolf and his more gruff mask.

Cyril grinned. "You're the one that Saya asked those extra questions, huh?"

Suluc nodded his head slowly. "Ya. Not sure why though."

"Me neither!" Wolf jumped in.

Lamb hushed him. "He's not too bland, Wolf. I quite find this one enjoyable. His life force feels very different." She drew closer to him, causing the silver haired boy to step back, nearly crashing into Nasus.

"You're scared of me, aren't you?" Lamb asked.

Suluc nodded, knowing that lying would do him little good. "Y-Ya."

Lamb nodded slowly, as if she was studying him. "Interesting."

Nasus stepped in. "Kindred, May I respectfully ask that you refrain from scaring my summoner to death? I still have need of him, considering that our match is next."

Cyril laughed. "Ya, we don't need that. And we're on the same team."

Nasus bowed his head. "You have my thanks." Then his eyes narrowed. "On the topic of the match, I would request assistance for us top lane. My powers are slow to build, and it is quite easy for me to be pushed down early in the fight."

Lamb and Cyril began to talk, though Wolf was dancing around in front of Nasus, the large jackal hardly put off. "We will help only if we get to hunt and chase prey!"

Cyril pushed the wolf aside, shaking her head slightly. "Ya, just as long as you help out later on. Fair?" She held forward her hand for Suluc to shake.

Looking to his champion for guidance, he got a smile and a nod. Suluc shook her hand, letting a grin touch his face. "You got it!"

They chatted for a short while longer, discussing how the other fought, their strengths and weaknesses. Both had the same issue of being slow to begin fights, but as they drew on, they became dangerous forces for the enemy to try and tame.

There was a chime, and they heard their team called up. Suluc let out a slow breath, feeling his heart beginning to beat loudly in his chest to the point he was expecting it to break his ribs.

He felt a hand in his shoulder, turning to see Nasus looking down to him. "Be at peace. We can do this together."

Suluc nodded, feeling his confidence grow. They could do this!

Nasus saw the smile on Suluc's face as the boy turned from him. Then he let his smile drop. How long till this boy grew to hate his position with the Curator?

He silently sighed, wondering how long this summoner would last before his agitation grew too much and he left like all the others.

He had little time to dwell on it when they were transported to their starting area. They readied up before heading out to their lane, seeing all their allies heading to their spots, and the Kindred dancing to their jungle, Cyril close behind.

Suluc stayed close to Nasus, eyes darting around quickly. They stood at their turret, waiting for their minions to arrive. They had no idea who their enemy would be, but were prepared for the worst.

Their minions arrived, and the duo charged around the corner, Suluc stopping in place when they came face to face with none other than Morgan riding Cho'Gath, the both of them roaring while attacking minions.

Nasus looked to his summoner. "Stay close to me, and we will be fine. I promise you."

Suluc swallowed, his trust being put in Nasus. "Alright, lead the way."

Nasus shook his head with a grin. "You're the summoner. You lead me."

That was when Suluc knew he was truly in trouble.

"What!?"


End file.
